Robert Evans Jr., 25, also known as Michael Jones, of Darwen Lancashire, England, was sentenced to 3.5 years in custody for the manslaughter of Owen Sound restaurateur Sharif Rahman. With presentence credit, he has about seven months left to serve before facing deportation, the judge said Friday.
Details of the Sentencing
Ontario Court Justice Christopher Chorney sentenced Evans Jr. to 1,277 days, or about 3.5 years. With 710 days of presentence custody enhanced by 1.5 days per day served, he received credit for 1,065 days, leaving 212 days, or about seven months. The judge also issued a lifetime firearms and other weapons prohibition.
Evans Jr. pleaded guilty to manslaughter on June 5, 2026, in the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound. The charge stemmed from an assault on Aug. 17, 2023, that led to Rahman's death a week later in a London, Ont. hospital.
Court's Reasoning
Chorney described Rahman as a "valued and well liked member of the Owen Sound community, a beloved husband and father. His death was profoundly tragic." The judge noted the sentence was within the mid-range for manslaughter and reflected mitigating and aggravating factors.
"This was truly a one-punch case of manslaughter," Chorney said, repeating the description by Grey County Crown attorney Patrick Clement. "While Mr. Evans ought to have known he might cause some bodily harm, he certainly did not intend to cause the death of Mr. Rahman."
Aggravating and Mitigating Factors
Aggravating factors included that Evans Jr. committed the offence while trying to leave the restaurant without paying, fled without helping Rahman, and then fled Canada. His U.K. convictions for possession of an imitation firearm and battery were also considered.
Mitigating factors included the guilty plea, which spared Rahman's family a trial, and Evans Jr.'s sincere remorse. Chorney said Evans Jr. "will carry lifelong guilt, which pales in comparison to the grief he has caused the victim's family."
Community Reaction
Hafeez Motorwala, imam of the Owen Sound Muslim Community Association, called the sentence "a joke." He argued, "His life was taken away. I think three-and-a-half years doesn't do it justice. Whether he intended to kill or not, violence was intended, aggression was intended, and that caused his death."
Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy, a lawyer, said the sentence was appropriate. "Not everyone's going to be happy with the sentence," he said. "However, justice will be carried out."
Accessories Sentenced
Evans Jr.'s father, Robert Busby Evans, 49, and uncle, Barry Evans, 55, pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact on June 5. They were sentenced to time served—21 months plus one day—for helping Evans Jr. flee Canada. Busby Evans arranged a plane ticket, and Barry Evans drove him to Collingwood and retrieved motel documents to cover their tracks.
